DeLand Regional

It was like deja vu all over again when South Florida struck first blood in the second inning. Of course, as soon as the Bulls took the lead, Oklahoma State stole it and ran off with it.

Jonathan Heasley tossed a complete game. It was his best career outing. Heasley allowed one unearned run on seven hits and two walks. He struck out seven batters. The Cowboys offense was led by Trevor Boone, who blasted two 2-run shots. The first came in the sixth inning. He followed up with another in the eighth.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys had no answer for regional host Stetson. The Hatters owned this regional, outscoring opponents 29-7. They racked up double digit runs in both games against Oklahoma State. Stetson starter Jack Perkins struck out 13 batters and finished the complete game. Oklahoma State’s only run came in the ninth inning. They managed three hits and a fourth base runner against Perkins. Stetson pitchers struck out 32 Cowboys total in the two games they played each other in this regional. The Hatter scored 10 of their 11 runs in the third inning. Oklahoma State finishes 31-26-1.

Looking Ahead: Oklahoma State is losing five players to graduation, most notably Jon Littell and Andrew Rosa. Colin Simpson (.280 avg., 18 HR) is draft eligible and will likely be drafted high enough to lure him into the MLB. Matt Kroon (.300 avg., 11 HR) is also draft eligible and might sign. Carson Teel did not have a stellar ERA this year and was inconsistent at times. He should stay. Christian Funk will also likely return for one more year.

Tevor Boone, Carson McCusker, and Michael Neustifter will be key returnees to the offense. Jonathan Heasley will return in the rotation. CJ Varela, and Peyton Battenfield will also bring experience to the pitching staff in 2019.

Overall, this is a team that will be able to compete. I think they definitely make a regional. Josh Holliday’s teams are by far the most unpredictable in this conference. You never know what they are going to do , and always seem to have this one hot streak that comes out of nowhere.

Tallahassee Regional

Mississippi State placed up eight runs in the third inning and four in the seventh to cruise past the Sooners. Cade Harris and Domenic DeRenzo hit home runs. Oklahoma used six pitchers. Kyler Murray and Steele Walker have yet to step onto the field.

Expect all hands to be on deck for this winner-take-all rubber match. The winner plays Vanderbilt in the Super Regionals.

Lubbock Regional

Zach Rheams blasted two home runs, including a 3-run shot in the first inning to place Tech up 4-0. Cody Farhat extended the lead to 5-0 in the second with a solo shot. Rheams finished the night 4-for-4 with five RBIs, scoring three runs. He finished a triple from the cycle. Five Tech hitters produced multi-hit games.

Starter Davis Martin tossed five innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk. He received the win.

Texas Tech advances to its third Super Regionals in five years. They have never lost a Super Regionals series, but have also never played on the road. If Georgia wins the Athens Regional, Tech will be the road team in Georgia.

Austin Regional

No.1 Texas 3 No.2 Indiana 2*Texas is No.13 in national seeds.*Texas advances to the Super Regionals.

Blair Henley struck out more Hoosiers than he allowed base runners. Through 7.1 innings, Henley allowed six hits and struck out eight. He did not issue a walk. Both runs Henley allowed were unearned. This came after an error. Texas took an early 1-0 lead when Masen Hibbeler scored after a lead-off walk in the second inning. Trailing 2-1 in the sixth, Zach Zubia knotted the game up with a solo shot. Texas took the lead in the seventh when Kody Clemens hit an RBI double to bring David Hamilton across home plate. Four pitchers finished off the game for Texas, securing the victory.

This is the first time since 2014 Texas has advanced to the Super Regionals. They have advanced to the College World Series in eight of their nine Super Regionals appearances since the format started in 1999. Their lone loss came against TCU in the 2011 Super Regionals. Texas now awaits the winner of the Oxford Regional. If Ole Miss wins, Texas will travel to Oxford for the Super Regionals. Otherwise, Texas will host.

Stanford Regional

Stanford scored a pair of runs in each of the first two innings, including an Andrew Daschbach home run in the first. This was enough to eliminate the Bears, but it wasn’t as easy it sounds. Davion Downey hit a solo shot in the fifth, followed by a Shea Langeliers solo shot in the seventh. Nick Loftin singled to lead off the ninth with the heart of Baylor’s lineup to follow. The Bears couldn’t quite muster up the full comeback.

Alex Phillips tossed 5.2 shutout innings of relief. He allowed two hits and did not provide a free pass. Troy Montemayor added a perfect inning to close out the ball game. Baylor finishes a rebuilding year 37-11 with a Big 12 Tournament Championship, and a third-place finish in what was deemed the toughest regional by many experts.

Looking ahead: Josh Bissonette, TJ Raguse and Richard Cunningham are all draft eligible, but I don’t see why they would sign this season. The offense was the biggest problem for this team for much of the year.

Baylor will be a serious contender for the Big 12 Championship and an Omaha appearance next season. The entire starting rotation is locked in, including Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Cody Bradford.

The biggest hit this team will take is in the bullpen. Closer Troy Montemayor is a senior and will not return. They should be able to find someone to fill his shoes though as well as this team pitched all season.

Davis Wendzel, Nick Loftin, Shea Langeliers and Andy Thomas all are locks to return to the lineup. This team was in rebuilding mode this season, yet won the Big 12 Tournament, and stood toe-to-toe with the No.2 team in the nation. There is a lot to look forward to for Baylor Nation.